Ed Eyestone Named New BYU Men's Cross Country Coach, Assistant Track Coach
PROVO, Utah (May 17) - Fifteen years after earning 10 All-American awards and four NCAA championships as a Cougar, Ed Eyestone returns to BYU as the head coach of the men's cross country team and as an assistant coach for the men's track and field team.
"It certainly is an honor to be coming back to BYU," said Eyestone. "In a way, it's like being handed the keys to your father's Cadillac. You know it's a fine-tuned machine, so you don't want to bang it up on the way out of the driveway. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with (head track coach) Mark Robison, and I think BYU has unlimited potential. We have a great chance to contend for the national title in a few years."
Eyestone won the NCAA 10,000-meter title in 1984, and, later that year, became the only Cougar to ever win an individual NCAA title in cross country. In 1985, Eyestone was the NCAA champion in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races, and is one of only two BYU men to win two NCAA titles in a single year. His name still appears in the BYU record books, where his school records in the two-mile, 5,000- and 10,000 meters remain unchallenged.
As an assistant with the track team, Eyestone will work under Robison's direction, primarily with the distance athletes. "There's not an LDS distance runner in the nation who doesn't know who Ed Eyestone is," said Robison. "He will help us get the kids we want, and will have us moving in the right direction. Ed will make a huge difference, not only in recruiting, but in the overall success of our program."
Eyestone is a two-time Olympian, having competed in the marathon as a member of the U.S. team in 1988 and in 1992. His coaching experience includes twelve years as the co-director of the Wolf Creek Running Camp and a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Weber State University (1996-98). Ed has spent the last nine years as a commentator for ESPN's "Race of the Month," and is currently a columnist for Runner's World magazine.
"He has established a reputation as one of the premier distance runners in America,"said BYU Athletic Director Val Hale. "We are confident he will be able to incorporate many of the same training techniques that made him successful as he works with our athletes. Ed is going to be a great addition to our staff."
A father of five daughters, Eyestone is married to the former Lynn Lambert. He served an LDS mission to Barcelona, Spain from 1980-82, and graduated from BYU with a B.S. in psychology in 1985.
